A recurring theme (running gag?) of this column is that television is bad for you – for many reasons.
This week, it is shows like Grey’s Anatomy, House, and ER that come in for some flak. According to Professor Yinjiao Yes, in a study from the University of Rhode Island, people who regularly watch this type of show are more likely to become hypochondriac, to the point of developing symptoms of unusual illnesses – which they then self-diagnose.
It is also dangerous to watch some of the advertisements, despite the fact that they were obviously made with good intentions. A 30-something washes his hair with Head and Shoulders shampoo. He dries it in the bathroom, and then takes over baby-sitting duties. This ‘new man’ flies in the face of common sense; he uses an electrical appliance, however well insulated, in the bathroom.
Last June, the Italian press had reported the death of a 14-year-old Rita Laura Furnari precisely from a similar action. She had been preparing to go to a class reunion, and she made the fatal mistake of using an electric hairdryer when her feet were wet.
But at least the aforementioned advert does not go the way of The Fixer Show, in which Axe products are flogged to the public through an ersatz talk show. One of the shampoos is specifically designed to “scrub away” the last vestiges of “questionable hook-ups”, which include (and insult) several categories of people. One hopes these advertisements will never make it to local television screens.
• Maltese is one of the few languages that differentiates between whether a corner is that of a room or of a street. And yet some broadcasters still cannot distinguish between a rokna and a kantuniera.
News bulletins last week kept repeating that “an Arab” (raġel Għarbi) was involved in a traffic accident. One doesn’t usually go around lumping Europeans in one basket. If the man’s nationality could not be ascertained, he could have been described as a foreigner, or, even simpler, as a man.
It was only by Saturday noon that this person had acquired a Tunisian citizenship – and yet the driver of the vehicle allegedly involved in the accident was still an ‘Għarbi ieħor’.
Hearing this type of language on news bulletins, even once, is akin to listening to the incessant repetition of the same derisive, divisive, denigrating language in Radju Malta readings.
• Whenever you need to give a piece of lace an ‘authentic’ vintage look, you can distress it by soaking it in cold tea. And yet last week, advice was being given about how to alleviate bags under the eyes by placing used teabags on them.
I am assuming one would not mind the dark circles of stained skin acquired as a substitute.
As for the demise of “Toni Cortis”, the least said the better.
• Meanwhile, the Eurovision controversy monster raises his head again.
Composers are not pleased, to put it mildly, that they have to pay a fee to compete. Perhaps this was done to glean the wheat from the chaff – but even a nominal payment would have been deemed an insult, let alone one of €250.
It is reasonable that agreements made by one person in a particular office may or may not be honoured by the next incumbent of that position; however, to me, it smacks of immoral manipulation to preclude composers from participating in another contest for one calendar year with the same song.
Incidentally, how would Maltasong discover that someone took a shot at a festival in Timbuktu? Will it be subscribing to all song festival websites, or will someone be kept occupied for a zillion hours trawling through the internet?
The difficulty would probably be compounded if foreign composers, including non-Europeans, enter the fray, since they might be eligible for more contests, by virtue of their nationality, than Maltese authors.
Unfortunately, the only recognised local union in the music field is the Union of Maltese Composers and Authors (UKAM) – and I do not see any coherent effort by PBS to even listen to what it is saying.
It is pertinent to remember that about five years ago, UKAM had threatened to boycott the contest should il-barrani be allowed to compete locally. Enter the ‘reciprocity clause’ through which Maltese composers were allowed to take part in foreign heats – but only where this was allowed.
PBS CEO Anton Attard was quoted as saying that by opening up the contest to foreigners, it would “...encourage local composers and authors to take on the challenge and perform better”.
The mind boggles; there are occasions when some of us are the only Maltese – nay, European – people who are successful in (many different) international fields. We do not need this kind of talk, which in itself is a dig at our self-esteem.
• I caught part of the Bonġu breakfast show on TVM on October 1. In a discussion between Peppi Azzopardi and Andrew Azzopardi, the topic of the week was ‘ethics in politics’ – an antithesis to some people.
Peppi Azzopardi said that everyone made mistakes, and therefore, we must excuse the people who were elected on one ticket, but did not follow through with their promises for any reason, and yet did not break the law.
But when things are this side of legal, they can be on the far side of ethical and just.
television@timesofmalta.com